Brooklyn

            The problem with seeing a movie after it has been nominated for multiple Academy Awards is one thing; there is hype of course but that just makes the audience get nit-picky. It is another thing to go see a film after knowing one of the Academy Awards it is up for is Best Picture. That's the game-changer. That means not only is the acting most likely superior but that this movie could have some curveballs, twists, or shocking heartbreaks that may affect you deeply. It's hard to walk into a theater of a such a film and not anticipate that you will love it. I mean, how could you not? It was nominated for a reason(s), right? "If I don't like this movie then how do I ever show my face in a theater again?" You see how stressful it could be just going to see a good movie? Pretty awesome, huh?

           With a little bit of an abrupt start (yeah that's right, beginnings can be abrupt, too), Brooklyn is off and running inside the head of our heroine, Eilis (AY-lish), anticipating her leaping decision to go from her home in Enniscorthy, Ireland to the Promised Land of Brooklyn, NY. She doesn't just jump ship on a whim even though it seems that way, her sister Rose has a contact overseas with the promise of a job that would suit Eilis' yearning for growth. The boat trip alone from Ireland to America is something out of hell and a true eye-opener for a period piece that shows a time that used-to-be.

            The small cliches of home sickness with a plot of an immigrant is all but cliche this time around. It must be the face of Saoirse Ronan that you just can't look away from. She made me want to go back to my home in Ireland so badly that I forgot I was American. Take that sentence with a grain of salt but do pay attention to how she masters every emotion in the blink of an eye and when reality sinks in, the loneliness is palpable. With every risk comes opportunity and Eilis begins to step out of her shell at the Irish dance club she frequents with her boarding house roommates and leads to a one Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen) asking her to dance. What's he doing in that club? Glad you asked, he's an Italian man that likes Irish girls and Eilis' poise and confidence are hard to ignore.

             The story that Eilis and Tony spark is very lovely if I do say so myself. There's a certain charm and cleverness bouncing between the two of them that draws you in from the first song on the dance floor. This "feel good vibe" is a theme in many of the scenes actually, especially the dinner table conversations at Eilis' boarding house. Her landlord, Mrs. Keogh (Julie Walters- you know her as Mrs. Weasley), better not see you with elbows on the table or declining to say prayer before meals but her wise cracks with a subtle aged-liveliness serves well as comic relief for her five female tenants.

            I hate to get personal but I have to admit there was some doubt in my mind of why this was chosen among the nominees for this year's Best Picture. That has now changed. Part of me wants to complicate this and dive into a laundry list of how stirring the lighting was off Saoirse Ronan's eyes or how much the set designers nailed the details of 1952 or how the dialogue was spotless or how this is a story of immigration but so beautifully executed that it seems like a glance into another human's life blah blah blah but I don't really want to. I want to keep it as simple as Brooklyn does. Sometimes you just like or even love a movie because it takes you into one person's life as if you're looking through a window. That person has done and seen so much more that what you're seeing just from looking at them. Somehow the 1 hour and 45 minutes of Brooklyn harnesses that experience and lets you see how much lies behind something that looks like just a glance. GRADE: 8/10

The Revenant

            In life, there are a of lot scenarios that require a certain self control and strength to bounce back from. I know that is a very broad and generic statement to make but sometimes you just never know. It could be a bad day at work, a surprise dent on your driver side door, missing a game-winning shot, or even getting brutally mauled by a bear in the wilderness and left for dead. However you want to categorize your own day-to-day struggles, forget them for 2 hours and 36 minutes, see The Revenant, then drive home and erase your list of problems.

           For the sake of readership I will say that I am kidding, of course, with the above paragraph because I pray that your daily struggles aren't even close to being in the same ballpark as Hugh Glass'. You've seen the commercials so I'll be brief in reiterating that The Revenant is based off true events that took place in the 1820s. Some of you already know that this story has been adapted before in 1971 with Man in the Wilderness starring Richard Harris (the original Albus Dumbledore) and John Huston. To clarify the difference, I am led to believe that The Revenant is focused more on the lives of Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald versus Man in the Wilderness which is a looser adaptation of the events that transpired.

Alright! Now that I've gotten that off my chest... shall we?

             I usually don't do "warnings" per se when talking about seeing a movie (actually, I stay as far away as possible from them) because I would hate to deprive you of missing out on a revelation such as a well-made film solely from what could be a personal fear or whatever trivial thing that would hesitate you. This is kind of different, though. Purely because of how phenomenally realistic and researched The Revenant is, it is not for the squeamish or blood-phobics. You get a feel for the intensity during the trailers but the film itself is probably not far off of how it was almost 200 years ago. You're going to go see it anyway, right? Why wouldn't you? I mean, if you miss out on DiCaprio's finest hour, I don't think I could ever forgive you.

            Trying to defend his title as reigning Academy Award Best Picture and Best Director winner (Birdman 2014), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is pulling out all the stops to blow the audience away with the story of 19th century frontiersmen Hugh Glass and John Fitzgerald. While on a woodsy expedition of hunting and trading furs, Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is virtually torn apart by a mother bear after she spots him a little too close to her cubs. Volunteers from the expedition team stay back with Glass to ensure he is given a proper burial after his imminent death. The three men that remain by his side are the reluctant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy in touch with his inner Forrest Bondurant), Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) and Glass' Pawnee son, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). Hot-headedness and a jealous rage from Fitzgerald leads to not only the ultimate fight for survival but a revenge mission that is colder than the air that surrounds them.

            Fur trappers are known for being resourceful and very much in touch with their surroundings but Hugh Glass has an understanding of the land's layout making him an expert of orienteering and marksmanship. In order to devote his mind, body, and spirit, Leonardo DiCaprio gave up his comfortable, vegetarian lifestyle and lived off the grid while filming a good part of this movie. Just giving you a tiny taste that doesn't spoil anything, the bison liver: it's real, and I want to assume that the vomit that follows said liver is real, too. This role channels a new level of acting greatness that I believe can only be pulled off by DiCaprio himself.

            I was under the impression that this was a perfect movie but I have to say the timeline of the story is a little disjointed, but nothing at all to worry about. Let yourself become enveloped by the scenery. Cinematography is a great strength of Inarritu and he flexes his muscles once again by having every picturesque landscape and mountainside shot using natural light. As uncomfortable as a lot of The Revenant may seem, there is a breath of fresh air that's as light as a snowflake so don't let the lack of dialogue or animalistic, painful heavy breathing intimidate you.

            The Oscar nominees have not been announced and I have not yet seen the other films that will be up against this one but I will go on record saying that I would bet the Powerball on DiCaprio walking away with his first Academy Award. This is truly one for the ages, folks. Inside and out, The Revenant sparks everything you want and you'll be glad it doesn't hold back. GRADE: 9/10

           

2016

Inside Out

            Along with every other sound-minded human, when I see the words "Pixar presents..." before a movie title I am pretty much guaranteed to enjoy what's about to hit the screen. Inside Out is no different and I will take the initiative in saying this was the most fun I had watching a movie in 2015. We are taken inside, not the brain but the mind, of a teenage girl who is getting a lot thrown at her this point in her life and, like every other teenager, is having some trouble keeping her emotions organized. Why hasn't anyone thought to "personify" emotions before this? Leave it to the brilliance of Pixar, I guess. You have Amy Poehler headlining as Joy: the ruler of all things happy and fun, Phyllis Smith completely nails it as the blue ne'er-do-well and depressing to be around Sadness, Mindy Kaling channels the pouty hater in all of us as Disgust, Bill Hader is exactly who I want to hear as the voice of Fear, and c'mon, how can you cast anyone else for the role of Anger besides the hot-headed Lewis Black?! With a subject matter that literally has more possibilities than we can imagine and a plot that hits all the feels and lives up to Pixar's track record of warmness and humor, Inside Out uses every neuron in its capacity to make sure you get what you expected. GRADE: 10/10

Black Mass

            The name James "Whitey" Bulger is not usually what we think of while listing gangster headliners throughout history. Until now. His story was well-known to some but now he has been immortalized on the silver screen via the chameleon Mr. John Depp and can consider himself crossed off the Most-Wanted list and inducted into the hall of film history villains. In South Boston there is a certain disregard for life when it comes to protecting family and reputations. Being the brother of a state senator, Whitey knows how to watch his steps but even more how to sway the law in the direction of the wind. He is considered the most violent criminal in the history of Boston but had the respect of those around him simply because he remained a hometown boy who looked after those who were loyal to him. Johnny Depp was nominated for an Oscar as Captain Jack Sparrow and many consider his cult-classic performance as the timid Edward Scissorhands to be his finest hour but as the menacing Whitey Bulger, he stands alone. He may not be a method actor such as the late Heath Ledger and the spellbinding Daniel Day-Lewis but Johnny Depp has a way of taking a scene and commanding it to the point where you just can't look away. Flanked by Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, and Kevin Bacon, great acting is just all over this movie but the execution of the story itself is not quite up to the same caliber. Still, do not let this stop you in your tracks, having sat next to a true crime story expert in the theater, you'll want to be able to say you saw Johnny Depp's first Academy Award winner (we'll see). GRADE: 8/10

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

            I've written about highly anticipated movies before but I don't think any of them come close to the hype that surrounds this one. The Star Wars saga has become synonymous with what it means to be an American classic (kinda like Coca-Cola or McDonald's) so when another chapter in its journey is set to be released...well, it's a seismic shock we have to brace ourselves for. This is Episode VII (seven, I know you knew that) in a series of IX (I'll let you look that one up) but, most importantly, the introduction to a whole new generation of sci-fi lovers to get sucked into the phenomenon and the OJs (Original Jedis, I need a new name for that) get to relive the fun they had 30+ years ago and then again 16 years ago during the 3 prequels. Now I won't say much about the plot only that famed Jedi, Luke Skywalker, is nowhere to be found and there is a new Dark Side uprising that is most eager to find Luke's galactic whereabouts. A fresh group of heroes called the Resistance has limited resources but a great deal of skills along with some seasoned advice to guide them in the right direction. Despite the epic fight scenes and much improved special effects, there is disconnect during crucial scenes by means of forced comedy that doesn't fit and only serves as a distraction. Director JJ Abrams brought in old faces, as advertised, but also many unknowns made their debut which must be intimidating but they held their own just fine from time to time. Like its predecessors, it's a movie that goes by quickly (just over 2 hours) and is easy to follow, but there is such thing as being too predictable and that can ruin the fun for the ending. The mixed, underwhelmed feelings that filled me while walking out of the theater has left me to give this global, box office shattering, record-breaking spectacle a -- GRADE: 6/10